Main Battle Tanks and Armour Technology

If Tanks have to evolve, which path they should follow?

  • Light Vehicles-Best for mobility

    Votes: 25 7.4%
  • Heavy Armour-Can take heavy punishment.

    Votes: 57 16.8%
  • Modular Design-Allowing dynamic adaptions.

    Votes: 198 58.2%
  • Universal Platform-Best for logistics.

    Votes: 60 17.6%

  • Total voters
    340

WolfPack86

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Russia completes delivery of T-90S/SK tanks to Vietnam
Moscow has completed the delivery of 64 T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBTs) to Vietnam, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) confirmed to Jane’s on 28 March.

A military-diplomatic source said “the multi-faceted contract” that was signed in 2016 for the MBT acquisition “has been fulfilled in accordance with the original schedule”.

“All the financial issues under the contract have been resolved, and the Vietnamese tank crews and technical specialists have already been trained,” the source added.

A representative of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) told Jane’s that the MBTs were shipped in two large batches, each totalling “no fewer than 30 platforms”.

“The first batch was delivered last December, while the second one arrived in Vietnam in late February,” said the source, adding that the VPA received the MBTs equipped with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour and a turret-mounted missile countermeasures system.

“The vehicles will replace outdated Chinese Type 59 and non-upgraded Soviet-era T-54 tanks,” he said, pointing out that the VPA has already begun operating the new vehicles.

In July 2017 Vietnamese state-run news agencies confirmed that Hanoi had ordered 64 T-90Ss, including an undisclosed number of T-90SK variants, pointing out that the acquisition would be funded by credit provided by Moscow.

The T-90S is the basic export model, while the ‘K’ is a reference to command versions.

The value of the T-90 deal was not disclosed but is thought to be about USD250 million. The investment represented the first major order of new MBTs that the VPA had secured in many years. Investment during the past decade and more has been firmly focused on modernising the Vietnamese navy and air force.
 

WolfPack86

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US Army’s M1 Abrams Tanks Now Fully Loaded With Trophy Active Protection System (APS)
The US Army has received the last units of the Trophy Active Protection System (APS) for its M1 Abrams main battle tanks from the Israeli company Rafael and the US-based Leonardo DRS. The system would increase the survivability of the tanks against large-caliber projectiles.

According to a statement released on Wednesday, the companies had started the deliveries in September 2019 under contracts awarded on an urgent basis by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems for both Army and the Marine Corps.

According to the sources, a joint team of Israeli and American experts worked to integrate the system on the M1 Abrams for both the services.

“It has been an honor to deliver these advanced defensive protection systems for our front-line tanks to give our warfighters a needed layer of survivability against real and emerging battlefield threats”, said Aaron Hankins, senior vice president, and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems business unit.

“Together with our Rafael partners, we worked tirelessly to ensure we met our customers’ needs while delivering ahead of schedule, and we look forward to supporting them with APS in the future,” he said.

An Active Protection System (APS) is a countermeasure designed for the protection of friendly vehicles from hostile anti-tank guided missiles or rockets by hard-kill (destroying the incoming rocket/missile) or soft-kill (jamming its electronics so it does not home into the vehicle) methods.

This system has been deemed ‘very essential’ in modern battlefield scenarios, where tanks and armored vehicles could be extremely vulnerable. The prime example being the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict where drones and ground-based anti-tank rockets destroyed a large number of armored vehicles on both sides.

The Trophy APS doesn’t just ‘kill’ the incoming target, it also detects the location from where the projectile was fired to enable the vehicle crew to engage the threat. Since 2011, the system has achieved 100% success in all low and high-intensity combat events, in diversified terrain (urban, open, and foliage).

The system has intercepted a variety of threats, including the Kornet ATGM, RPG-29, among others. The U.S Army has reported similar success in tests. “I tried to kill the Abrams tank 48 times and failed,” said US Army Col. Glenn Dean.

According to Rafael, by 2017, Trophy has accrued over 50,000 operating hours in deployment, bringing the system to a maximum reliability level.

If Trophy identifies that the threat is going to miss the platform, it will not activate the countermeasure but will provide the shooter location, enabling instantaneous engagement by the combat team, preventing further attacks. The advantage of the built-in HFD capability in symmetric warfare is its ability to provide enemy tank location as well, enabling the combat team to counter-attack the enemy tank.

Israeli APS systems are known to be reliable globally due to their deployment in a high-risk environment as the country has been involved in various conflicts, directly or indirectly since its independence. Another APS developed by Israel called Iron Fist, has also achieved successful interceptions against rockets, anti-tank missiles, and even kinetic energy penetrators.
 

WolfPack86

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US Army’s M1 Abrams Tanks Now Fully Loaded With Trophy Active Protection System (APS)
According to a statement released on Wednesday, the companies had started the deliveries in September 2019 under contracts awarded on an urgent basis by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Ground Combat Systems for both Army and the Marine Corps.

According to the sources, a joint team of Israeli and American experts worked to integrate the system on the M1 Abrams for both the services.

“It has been an honor to deliver these advanced defensive protection systems for our front-line tanks to give our warfighters a needed layer of survivability against real and emerging battlefield threats”, said Aaron Hankins, senior vice president, and general manager of the Leonardo DRS Land Systems business unit.

“Together with our Rafael partners, we worked tirelessly to ensure we met our customers’ needs while delivering ahead of schedule, and we look forward to supporting them with APS in the future,” he said.

An Active Protection System (APS) is a countermeasure designed for the protection of friendly vehicles from hostile anti-tank guided missiles or rockets by hard-kill (destroying the incoming rocket/missile) or soft-kill (jamming its electronics so it does not home into the vehicle) methods.

This system has been deemed ‘very essential’ in modern battlefield scenarios, where tanks and armored vehicles could be extremely vulnerable. The prime example being the recent Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict where drones and ground-based anti-tank rockets destroyed a large number of armored vehicles on both sides.

The Trophy APS doesn’t just ‘kill’ the incoming target, it also detects the location from where the projectile was fired to enable the vehicle crew to engage the threat. Since 2011, the system has achieved 100% success in all low and high-intensity combat events, in diversified terrain (urban, open, and foliage).

The system has intercepted a variety of threats, including the Kornet ATGM, RPG-29, among others. The U.S Army has reported similar success in tests. “I tried to kill the Abrams tank 48 times and failed,” said US Army Col. Glenn Dean.

According to Rafael, by 2017, Trophy has accrued over 50,000 operating hours in deployment, bringing the system to a maximum reliability level.

If Trophy identifies that the threat is going to miss the platform, it will not activate the countermeasure but will provide the shooter location, enabling instantaneous engagement by the combat team, preventing further attacks. The advantage of the built-in HFD capability in symmetric warfare is its ability to provide enemy tank location as well, enabling the combat team to counter-attack the enemy tank.

Israeli APS systems are known to be reliable globally due to their deployment in a high-risk environment as the country has been involved in various conflicts, directly or indirectly since its independence. Another APS developed by Israel called Iron Fist, has also achieved successful interceptions against rockets, anti-tank missiles, and even kinetic energy penetrators.
 

WolfPack86

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Ministry of Defense from Russia will get 323 BTR-82AM armoured personnel carrier in 2016-2018 12508162
Russia`s Ministry of Defense (MoD) will get 323 BTR-82AM armoured personnel carriers (APC) in 2016-2018, according to a source in the indigenous defense industry. "In April 2016, the 81st Armour Repairing Plant (Russian acronym: BTRZ, Bronetankovyi Remontnyi Zavod, a subsidiary of the Uralvagonzavod research-production corporation) and the Russian MoD signed the contract for 323 BTR-82AM APCs to be delivered in 2016-2018.

In accordance with the agreement, the customer will receive 78 BTR-82AM vehicles in 2016, 100 in 2017, and 145 in 2018," the source said.

He added that the 81st BTRZ had already signed the contracts with the subcontractors in order to get the components for the aforementioned BTR-82AM carriers. "The 81st BTRZ has ordered 2,584 KI-126 tires from the LLC AMTEL Investment Company, 12ST-85RM accumulator batteries, 323 contact components, 323 kits of lifting straps, and 323 spare tools and accessories kits," the source said.

By mid-2016, the 81st BTRZ had finished the implementation of the first contract worth RUB6.77 billion (USD104.1 million) for BTR-82AM armoured personnel carriers intended for the Russian military. "In accordance with the first agreement signed in April 2014, the MoD received 316 BTR-82AM vehicles. The first 120 APCs were delivered in 2014, 134 in 2015, and 62 in 2016," the source pointed out. Hence, Russia`s Ministry of Defense will have received a total of 639 BTR-82AM armoured personnel carriers from the 81st BTRZ by mid-2018.

It is noteworthy that the 81st BTRZ is to supply 17 BTR-82AM armoured vehicles to Russia`s Ministry of Internal Affairs (Russian acronym: MVD, Ministerstvo Vnutrennikh Del). However, the source did not specify the terms of the relevant contract.

BTR-82AM is the upgrade of the ageing BTR-80 APC to the BTR-82A level. According to the official data provided by the manufacturer of the vehicles, the Military Industrial Company (Russian acronym: VPK, Voyenno-Promishlennaya Kompaniya), the BTR-82A APC has a combat weight of 16,000 kg, a maximum road speed of 80 km/h, a maximum swimming speed of 9 km/h, and an operational range of 700 km. The vehicle is armed with a 30 mm Shipunov 2A72 stabilized cannon and a 7.62 mm Kalashnikov PKTM coaxial machinegun. The carrier is powered by the KAMAZ 740.14-300 turbodiesel engine (300 h.p.). BTR-82A is armoured at Level 2 STANAG 4569 (all-round protection against 7.62 mm steel core armour-piercing bullet at a 30 m distance). BTR-82A has retained the basic armour protection of its predecessor, BTR-80/BTR-82A. It is slightly increased due to the installation of spall liner. The APC carries a sophisticated radio, the Trona-1 geospatial system with combined inertial/satellite navigation subsystems, and a day/night sighting system. The BTR-82A’s firepower has been increased owing to the electrically driven manned combat module equipped with the two-axis gun stabilizer.

However, the main drawback of BTR-80/BTR-80A, namely, weak ballistic/counter-mine protection was not fixed. The Military Industrial Company is doing some efforts to enhance the BTR-82A/AM`s protection, according to the company`s Director General, Alexander Krasovitsky.

"The protection level of the BTR-82A APC will be increased, as our customers require the upgrade of the carriers` ballistic and counter-mine protection. VPK will use its know-hows to increase the survivability of the APCs on the modern battlefield," Krasovitsky said.

He pointed out, that both BTR-80 / 80A and BTR-82A are still in high demand by foreign customers on the global arms market. "New customers for our armoured vehicles are appearing. The APCs developed by VPK have proven themselves reliable and effective in combat. Furthermore, the BTR-82A carrier has a significant advantage over his rivals at the modern arms market, namely, its balanced cost, which has become more attractive due to the available rate of exchange. The analogues of BTR-82A developed by, for instance, Turkey or Finland are much more expensive, while the BTR-82A`s technical specifications do not fall short of them and in several areas significantly exceed those of Western vehicles," Krasovitsky pointed out.

BTR-82A/AM is supposed to replace the BTR-80 / 80A APCs in service with the Russian Armed Forces. According to the Military Balance 2016 report issued by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), Russia`s military operates 1,220 BTR-82A/AMs. It should be noted that Moscow is intensively promoting the vehicles on the global arms market. Kazakhstan is known to have received 70 BTR-82As, while Belarus has ordered 32 BTR-82A carriers.

Russia`s MoD orders not only BTR-82AMs rebuilt from BTR-80s, but also brand-new BTR-82As. The latest disclosed contract for 20 BTR-82A vehicles was signed in April 2016. The carriers are to be delivered by end-2016. The cost of the agreement was not announced.

BTR-82A/AM armoured personnel carriers are supposed to be replaced by the Bumerang (Boomerang) platform "in the nearest future", according to the source. However, they will be the backbone of the Naval Infantry and Motor rifle units for about 10-15 years. "Do not dismiss the BTR-82A vehicles. They have already revealed their high combat potential and cost-effectiveness ratio. One cannot find an infantry fighting vehicle at the price of an APC," he concluded.
 

WolfPack86

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Iraq Receives 36 T-90S Tanks From Russia
Iraq’s Defense Ministry has received the first batch of 36 T-90S tanks from Russia under a contract to supply 73 tanks.

Chief of Staff of the Iraqi Army, Lieutenant-General Othman Al-Ghanmi was quoted as saying by Iraq’s Shafaq news.

Al-Ghanmi, who paid an inspection visit to Basra, confirmed that the 36 Russian-made tanks had been delivered to Iraq. The rest 37 such tanks under the contract would reach Iraq by late April.

Earlier, Arab media cited a source in the Iraqi defense ministry as saying that the T-90S tanks had been delivered to the port city of Umm Qasr on February 15 to be later transported by Baghdad.

The T-90S tanks delivered to Baghdad come equipped with an active armor protection system which is claimed to deflect anti-tank armor piercing rounds and even offer some degree of protection against shoulder-fired anti-tank missiles.
 

Flying Dagger

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Russia completes delivery of T-90S/SK tanks to Vietnam
Moscow has completed the delivery of 64 T-90S/SK main battle tanks (MBTs) to Vietnam, the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation (FSVTS) confirmed to Jane’s on 28 March.

A military-diplomatic source said “the multi-faceted contract” that was signed in 2016 for the MBT acquisition “has been fulfilled in accordance with the original schedule”.

“All the financial issues under the contract have been resolved, and the Vietnamese tank crews and technical specialists have already been trained,” the source added.

A representative of the Vietnam People’s Army (VPA) told Jane’s that the MBTs were shipped in two large batches, each totalling “no fewer than 30 platforms”.

“The first batch was delivered last December, while the second one arrived in Vietnam in late February,” said the source, adding that the VPA received the MBTs equipped with Kontakt-5 explosive reactive armour and a turret-mounted missile countermeasures system.

“The vehicles will replace outdated Chinese Type 59 and non-upgraded Soviet-era T-54 tanks,” he said, pointing out that the VPA has already begun operating the new vehicles.

In July 2017 Vietnamese state-run news agencies confirmed that Hanoi had ordered 64 T-90Ss, including an undisclosed number of T-90SK variants, pointing out that the acquisition would be funded by credit provided by Moscow.

The T-90S is the basic export model, while the ‘K’ is a reference to command versions.

The value of the T-90 deal was not disclosed but is thought to be about USD250 million. The investment represented the first major order of new MBTs that the VPA had secured in many years. Investment during the past decade and more has been firmly focused on modernising the Vietnamese navy and air force.
And we are paying 1.2 bn just for license to them to build 464 tanks ?

We could have simply bought it from them if we were so keen.
 

WolfPack86

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US Approves $1.2 Billion Upgrade for Morocco’s M1A1 Abrams Tanks
The US State Department has approved a possible sale to Morocco of enhancements to 162 Abrams tanks for an estimated cost of $1.259 billion.

The prime contractor will be General Dynamics Land Systems. Refurbishment work will be performed at Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama and the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center in Lima, Ohio.

There are currently no known offset agreements proposed in connection with this potential sale, but one is expected due to Moroccan law.

The Government of Morocco has requested to purchase enhancements to one hundred sixty-two (162) Abrams tanks procured through the Excess Defense Article (EDA) program to one of the following variants: M1A1 Situational Awareness (baseline version), M1A2M (includes Commander’s Independent Thermal Viewer) or M1A1 U.S. Marine Corps version (includes Slew to Cue).

Included in the possible sale are one hundred sixty-two (162) M2 Chrysler Mount Machine Guns; three hundred twenty-four (324) M240 Machine Guns; one thousand thirty-five (1,035) M865 Training SABOT Rounds; and one thousand, six hundred ten (1,610) M831Al HEAT Rounds.

Also included are one hundred sixty-two (162) Export Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio Systems (SINCGARS); one hundred sixty-two (162) RT-1702 Receiver Transmitters; one hundred sixty-two (162) M250 Smoke Grenade Launchers; M962 .50 caliber rounds; special armor; Hunter/Killer technology, which may include the Commander's Independent Thermal Viewer (CITV) or Slew to Cue solution; Commander’s Weapon Station Variant which may include the Commander’s Weapon Station (CWS), Stabilized Commander’s Weapon Station (SCWS), or Common Remotely Operated Weapon Station- Low Profile (CROW-LP).
 

Akim

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Hi Akim any idea if there are still veterans of the Soviet Afghanistan war in service with Ukrainian armed forces?
Not for a long time. The T - 62M was removed from service at the beginning of the 21st century. Before the war, the Ukrainian army had only one type of tank - the T-64 and its modernization. Now the T-72 and T-80 have been temporarily returned from the reserve. In the future, they plan to leave the T-64 "Crab" (this is a deep modernization) and BM Oplot.
 

Akim

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.......................................................................................................
 

WolfPack86

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Delivery of Ukrainian Oplot T-84 tank MBT to Thailand ended successfully
According to the Ukrainian state-owned defense holding Ukroboronprom, the contract for the supply of Oplot-T Main Battle Tanks (MBTs) to Thailand ended successfully. A new batch of Oplot MBT was tested under the presence of Thai Defense Ministry officers and will soon be sent to Thailand.

The contract was completed despite the announce by Thailand to purchase Chinese VT-4 main battle tank instead of the Ukrainian tank, due to the long-term delivery schedule. in November 2017, Thailand had received 31 of the T-84 Oplot-T tanks, with an additional five tanks heading to Thailand by ship and the final batch of the remaining 13 tanks already manufactured.

In March 2011, the Royal Thai Army had placed an order for 49 T-84/Oplot-T MBTs from Ukroboronprom. State Administration of Industrial Security Ukraine. The tanks were to be manufactured at the Malyshev plant based in Kharkiv, Ukraine, to replace its fleet of aging American M41A3 Walker Bulldog light tanks, dating from the Vietnam war era. The Oplot-T is an Oplot-M (export version) with some minor modifications to meet local requirements, such as different radio, air conditioner and so on

As a reminder, the T-84 is a development of the Soviet T-80UD. It was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian army in 1999. Its high-performance opposed-piston engine makes it one of the fastest MBTs in the world, with a power-to-ratio of about 26 HP/ton (19 Kw/t). Ten of them entered Ukrainian service in 2001.

Main armament of the T-84 Oplot consists of one 125 mm KBA-3 (this is the local built version of the Russian 125 mm 2A46M-1) smoothbore gun fitted with a thermal sleeve and fume extractor. This is fed by an automatic loader which is similar to that installed in the T-64 in that the separate loading ammunition is stowed vertically whereas that of the T-72 and T-80 is stowed horizontally.
 

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